Favourite depictions of a punk rocker in popular culture.

[Sebastian Cobb]

That one in ntnocn that goes in the lav and can't work out which zip to open, eventually ends up pissing out his handbag.

[mothman]

https://vimeo.com/user14907704/blinddate

Stick with it, it's only seven minutes and you'll see what I mean.

[Glebe]

Any fellow children of the '80s remember Luna? It was produced by Mickey Dolenz, apparently, and featured a young Patsy Kensit as the title character... it was set in the future, and Luna's granddad had a big mohawk!

A real band rather than a depiction, and to be honest I know nothing about them outside of this clip, but LA punk band Fear's appearance on SNL is an interesting cultural curio... apparently John Belushi was a punk fan and got them on the show... Black Flag where supposedly mooted for an appearance on a later episode, but that got soon got scuppered. Minor Threat/Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye among others is in the crowd there.

Oh yeah, there was a Newman and Baddiel sketch where Rob Newman appeared as his 'younger' self, with a mohawk...

Surely the ne plus ultra of TV punk: Mayhem on the punk episode of Quincy

Yes, that is truly fantastic.

Funnily enough, I'm just watching the Young Ones doc that was on Gold, and Lise Mayer was just talking about Vyvyan. He's not any one thing, he just cherry-picked all the violent aspects of a few different cultures,  he's not a punk or a metalhead, just a little bit punk and a little bit metal.

Yeah, was gonna say... the spiky hair and aggressiveness made him seem more 'punky', really.

Star Trek IV.

...And here's the same guy cameoing in Spider-Man: Homecoming!:

Early OFAH always has punks in the background, especially in the Nag's Head.

Rodney wore a UK Decay t-shirt in one episode

Yeah, always a treat spotting 'punks' in OFAH! I bet Rodney has a cardboard box  full of rare hardcore "7s in the attic that Cassandra wants to put on eBay...

[Jockice]

Could it have been 'The Other One'?  Sitcom with Richard Briers and Michael Gambon, ran 1977 - 79.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075553/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3

Again, it's a programme I have no recollection of, but it could be. It's funny how some things stick in your mind though. Between those years I'd gone from being disgusted by punk to really liking it. And finding punk girls very sexy. Which would explain why it's stuck in my mind for over 40 years.

[Gurke and Hare]

The Scottish punk played by Gerard Kelly in one of the Video Box sketches in As Seen On TV calling for more programmes to have Toyah in them.

[kngen]

apparently John Belushi was a punk fan and got them on the show... Minor Threat/Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye among others is in the crowd there.

Not only that, but Belushi phoned up MacKaye and invited him and the rest of the DC hardcore scene up to NY to do their thing while Fear played, because the NY scene was lagging a bit behind in the HC stakes back then and couldn't be counted on to get quite as rowdy as the DC lot* (hence the 'New York sucks!' shout from the crowd during the set). It's interesting to see how the Quincy and CHiPs sequences really are just (admittedly risible) recreations of that clip. It really was American punk's Bill Grundy moment, except it was seen by millions rather than just a few thousand folk in the Greater London area.

_{*Although, to be fair, the first person to jump off the stage was John Joseph, who would go onto sing for NYHC legends the Cro-Mags.}

[Glebe]

Not only that, but Belushi phoned up MacKaye and invited him and the rest of the DC hardcore scene up to NY to do their thing while Fear played, because the NY scene was lagging a bit behind in the HC stakes back then and couldn't be counted on to get quite as rowdy as the DC lot* (hence the 'New York sucks!' shout from the crowd during the set). It's interesting to see how the Quincy and CHiPs sequences really are just (admittedly risible) recreations of that clip. It really was American punk's Bill Grundy moment, except it was seen by millions rather than just a few thousand folk in the Greater London area.

_{*Although, to be fair, the first person to jump off the stage was John Joseph, who would go onto sing for NYHC legends the Cro-Mags.}

Ah right!

[JesusAndYourBush]

Star Trek IV.

I was going to say this too.
And I just discovered there's a complete version available of the song from that scene...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8kKEh8DGU

[JesusAndYourBush]

This is one for the oldies but I remember something in which a middle-aged, middle class man (may have been Richard Briers but if not, someone like Richard Briers) was talking to two punk girls, who were fans of a band called Fag Packet. One of them asked where the nearest bog was and of course Briers (or the Briersalike) didn't know it was slang for the toilet.

Anyone have any idea of what this was?

Derek Nimmo?  There's no fag packet/bog in this clip but it might be an excerpt of something longer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-_fwE25arU

[Jockice]

Derek Nimmo?  There's no fag packet/bog in this clip but it might be an excerpt of something longer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-_fwE25arU

Yeah, I've seen that before. It's great but its definitely not from that. Definitely a sitcom.

[DrGreggles]

[Alternative Carpark]

Anyone mentioned Kenny Everett's Gizzard Puke yet?

[Dr Syntax Head]

Has Repo Man been mentioned?

[kngen]

Has Repo Man been mentioned?

There was a picture posted earlier, so kinda ...

It amazes me that the same person who made something as sublime as Repo Man could also make something as woeful as Sid and Nancy. I think it might be a rare occasion where the Hollywood studio system has worked in a film's favour, reining in Alex Cox's sillier inclinations.

[gilbertharding]

Anyone mentioned Kenny Everett's Gizzard Puke yet?

I was a bit confused by Gizzard Puke when he first appeared, because I was labouring under the (apparent) misapprehension that Sid Snot was a punk - and why would Kenny invent two punk characters?

[gilbertharding]

Probably as mentioned in the Terry and June thread somewhere else.

[gilbertharding]

Rodney wore a UK Decay t-shirt in one episode

Mick Jagger is wearing a Vivienne Westwood 'Destroy' T Shirt on the Some Girls tour DVD which was reissued a few years ago.

[poodlefaker]

Again, it's a programme I have no recollection of, but it could be. It's funny how some things stick in your mind though. Between those years I'd gone from being disgusted by punk to really liking it. And finding punk girls very sexy. Which would explain why it's stuck in my mind for over 40 years.

I can vaguely remember a punk episode of - I think - Keep It In the Family. There was a band with a posh bloke in who got the wrong end of the stick and wrote a sond called "Anna Key".

[Glebe]

Anyone mentioned Kenny Everett's Gizzard Puke yet?

I was a bit confused by Gizzard Puke when he first appeared, because I was labouring under the (apparent) misapprehension that Sid Snot was a punk - and why would Kenny invent two punk characters?

Hmmm, that's an interesting one... wasn't Gizzard supposed to be a biker?

Probably as mentioned in the Terry and June thread somewhere else.

Aha, yes! That's the one where Terry can't get Frankie Goes to Hollywood's name right!

You've jogged me memory with that, Gilbert... how about Mrs. Slocombe and Mr. Humphries fancy dress in Are You Being Served?:



There was also an episode where Mrs. Slocombe rents an apartment in the Grace Brother's building, and the rest of the staff start moving in... I recall Mr. Spooner putting on some punk record, but the uploads on YouTube and that and I think a GOLD rerun I caught have removed it (copyright issue, I suppose.)... I did a bit of Googling for AYBS? cuts, but can find nowt about it... anyone here got any info on this?

[gilbertharding]

What I mean is, Sid Snot - who was an established character -  to me, as a naive 9 year old, represented what little I k ew about  punk: leather jacket, yobbish attitude, short hair. This became confusing once Gizzard Puke came along, with his green mohican. Clearly this new character was a punk - so what was Sid Snot?

Like I say - these are the half remembered confusions of a 9 year old, recalled from 40 years ago.

[Norton Canes]

Jimmy, rotten.

Worth hanging on for the last joke.

[gib]

What I mean is, Sid Snot - who was an established character -  to me, as a naive 9 year old, represented what little I k ew about  punk: leather jacket, yobbish attitude, short hair. This became confusing once Gizzard Puke came along, with his green mohican. Clearly this new character was a punk - so what was Sid Snot?

Like I say - these are the half remembered confusions of a 9 year old, recalled from 40 years ago.

Punks didn't really wear hats did they?

I always felt the beard was just as incongruous on these two characters as it was on say, Cupid Stunt.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

As far as Glebe's comment goes about Gizzard Puke being a biker, Sid Snot looked more like a biker.
Think Gizzard Puke was meant as a Sid Snot surrogate, as yer man Everett wasnae allowed to do any of his ITV characters when he done moved to the BBC.

Also, Dudley Moore in the record shop  in 1979, in an advert for a credit card , or something.

[The Culture Bunker]

Punks didn't really wear hats did they?

I always felt the beard was just as incongruous on these two characters as it was on say, Cupid Stunt.

Pretty sure there's pics of Peter Hook from one of Warsaw/Joy Division's early gigs (when they were a bit punk) wearing a leather cap. Didn't have the full beard, though, just a 'tasch to round off the slightly camp look.

[gilbertharding]

Pretty sure there's pics of Peter Hook from one of Warsaw/Joy Division's early gigs (when they were a bit punk) wearing a leather cap. Didn't have the full beard, though, just a 'tasch to round off the slightly camp look.

And...



Midge Ure performing Vienna on Top of the Pops, presumably before they all had a big meeting to decide that the look for Vienna was 'The Third Man', not 'Leather Man'.

[gib]

Midge Ure performing Vienna

Admittedly i'd forgotten that famous example of punk rock.

[Natnar]

[Ambient Sheep]

FFS :-)

Sid Snot was a biker/rocker; Gizzard Puke was a punk.

Simple as that.


The odd thing is that the received wisdom is the stuff above indeed about GP being an SS replacement due to the channel change, but I'm sure I remember shows with them both on.  Probably just memory lying to me but I find it very surprising that not a single character made the switch.  I know Kremmen didn't but I thought some did.  Ah well...

[marquis_de_sad]

Sid's name is a clear punk reference, though.

[Ambient Sheep]

Or a coincidence... or maybe just the name nicked. 

I do agree that it's a kinda punky name, but all I can say is that at the time of broadcast he screamed "rocker" to us, whereas GP was clearly from a different subculture (even if with much the same lines to say!).